Combat Skills Explanation
Explosives Explosives as a skill entails the use of landmines, grenades, grenade launchers and detonated explosive charges. Almost all explosive weapons are expensive compared to their use because explosive weapons are, generally speaking, a single use item (such as grenades). Explosives can be exceptionally useful against both persons and against armored vehicles such as power armor or even vehicles due to their volatile nature although they are not very useful in situations where collateral damages need to be mitigated such as hostage situations, crowd control and when environmental hazards (such as methane gas pockets) are present. Landmines and Command Detonated Explosives * Are triggered by proximity, actively stepping on the device or by command detonation or timer * High yield but low trigger radius * Excellent point defense, poor offensive weapon * Once set, cannot be removed without destroying the device * -50 skill check when engaging in melee combat Grenades * Thrown by hand to an enemy or tile * Relatively low yield compared to other explosives but high radius of effect * Good for ‘campers’ and heavily entrenched enemies * Cannot be thrown more than fifty meters in most cases * -50 skill check when engaging in melee combat Grenade Launchers * Long distance grenades * Heavier than most explosive devices * -15 to skill check when shooting into long range, behind enemy cover or into a trench * -50 skill check when engaging in melee combat Heavy Weapons Heavy Weapons as a skill covers the use of high firepower, low maneuverability weapons. These weapons are exceptionally useful for laying down suppression fire or for taking out enemy vehicles. The heavy weapons field is highly versatile in midrange and long range combat with flamethrowers making an exception for close range combat. Rocket launchers, for example, are most useful in mid-ranged combat while penetrator rifles can be used as counter-armor weapons to pierce enemy vehicles and kill the crew or the engine without having to rely upon traditional anti-armor weaponry that would be more expensive and shorter ranged such as detonation packs. Rocket Launchers * -50 skill check when targeting infantry aside from when using anti-personnel rockets as stated in the file * High penetration and damage but generally low fire rates * +10 skill check when targeting structures such as bunkers or buildings * -10 skill check when engaging in long distance engagements * -50 skill check when engaging in close combat Flamethrowers * Short range but devastating damage * No penalty to engaging in close range combat * -15 skill check when engaging in midrange combat * -25 skill check when engaging in melee combat * Flamethrowers confer a 50% increase in damage per round they remain engaging (and hitting) the same target. Machineguns * Rapid fire and devastating damage * -15 skill check when engaging in close combat * -50 skill check when engaging in melee combat * -25 when engaging in long range combat Penetrator Rifles * Slow to fire but excellent armor penetration * -10 skill check when engaging in close combat * -50 skill check when engaging in melee combat * 2x penetration when engaging structures (bunkers, automated turrets, etc) Melee Weapons Melee Weapons require no ammunition but lack the range required to engage most targets that are more nimble than the wielder. While melee weapons suffer extreme disadvantages at a range they are unparalleled if the user can close the distance and get close where rifles and other such two handed weapons are unwieldy and bulky. However, bayonets, pistols and flamethrowers are exceptionally useful against pure-melee characters and melee characters (those using one handed weapons) are often best useful when combining a melee weapon with a second off-hand weapon such as a pistol, a second melee weapon or magical ability. · One handed * Faster, lighter and easier to conceal than all other weapons aside from pistols * Cannot hit any targets outside of melee range * Automatically bypasses armor in stealth attacks except power armor · Two handed * Harder hitting than one handed weapons * Can hit enemies in close range combat as well as melee combat (reach) * Cannot be concealed · Axes * Can be used to hook weapons, conferring a -3 skill penalty but if successful, disarms the enemy * Can be used to hook an enemy’s limb, conferring a -5 penalty but if successful negates the use of that limb for one round. * Can be used as a tool as well as a weapon, generally speaking · Blades * Easiest to conceal and hide if one handed * Ignores armor in stealth attacks except for users in power armor and ignores the core as well * Many blades cause bleeding damage in addition to their normal damage · Impact Weapons * Most damage of all melee weapon types, usually being at least somewhat capable of breaking armor directly * Can be used to knock out an opponent by rolling the user’s melee skill against the target’s fortitude upon a successful hit to the head * May be used to trip an opponent, conferring a -3 to the skill check but knocking the target prone if successful · Unarmed * Greatest flexibility in melee combat but poorest damage output. * May disarm, trip or grapple, conferring -3 to the user’s skill but disarming an enemy, knocking them prone or negating the use of their limb if successful respectively * Disarmed enemies may have their weapon stolen by an unarmed enemy * Once an enemy is grappled, the limb may be broken if a strength check against the target’s strength is passed Pistols Pistol class weaponry are typically onehanded weapons that can be used in combination with other weapons or in combination with other handguns. Pistols lack firepower and range compared to rifles or heavy weapons when compared on a single weapon to a single weapon. However, pistols are more useful in melee range than almost all other ranged weapons and additionally cover the sub-class weapons of SMGs which can be devastating in close range combat. Pistols are arguably a weaker class if used improperly however pistols also fill a valuable niche in the weapon ecosystem which makes them invaluable to those looking to get into close range combat. · Magnums * Heaviest raw damage and firepower of all pistols * -3 when used to engage targets in mid-range combat * No accuracy penalty in melee combat * Cannot be dual wielded · Pistols * Relatively light damage compared to most other weapons but can be wielded in one hand * No accuracy penalty in melee combat * -5 when used to engage targets outside of close combat * +5 accuracy when shot using both hands * -5 accuracy when fired with one hand · SMGs * Highest fire rate of all pistols for moderate damage per round * No penalty when used in close combat or mid-ranged combat * -25 accuracy penalty when used in melee combat Rifles Rifles are two handed weapons which have a variety of weaponry within their class to fill a wide range of functions. Most rifles will have moderate damage and a fairly lightweight weapon platform overall though not as light as pistols and not as damaging as heavy weapons. Rifles such as shotguns fill the close-range archetypes and can counter melee weapons but are less useful than assault rifles which can also engage in mid-ranged combat. Sniper rifles are exceptional long-range weapons but are extremely lacking in even midrange combat while marksman rifles fall between assault rifles and sniper rifles. · Assault Rifles * No penalty when fired at targets in close combat * No penalty when fired at targets in midrange combat * -5 skill check when engaging targets in long range combat * -25 skill check when engaging targets in melee combat · Marksman Rifles * No penalty when used to engage targets in long range combat * No penalty when used to engage targets in midrange combat * -2 skill check when engaging targets in close combat * -25 skill check when engaging targets in melee combat · Shotguns * No penalty when used against targets in close range combat * -10 skill check when used to engage targets in midrange combat * No skill check penalty for engaging a target in melee combat however the user is conferred a -50 to all defensive rolls against the target . Sniper Rifles * No penalty to long range combat * -5 penalty to artillery ranged combat * -2 penalty to midrange combat * -25 skill check to close range combat * Cannot hit targets in melee combat